Monday, December 18, 2017

A different Europe - Eldad Beck




by Eldad Beck

The Freedom Party of Austria has gone from a group of fringe radicals to politicians who can now position themselves as part of the mainstream and say, "Consider yourselves warned."

Something happened on Feb. 4, 2000: In a move that rocked Europe, the Freedom Party of Austria (FPO), a radical right-wing party that did not hide its admiration for the Nazis, joined the ranks of a European government for the first time since World War II.

Two million people took part in what was one of the largest protests ever held in Vienna. For the first time, the European Union imposed sanctions on a member state. Israel recalled its ambassador to Vienna, and for the first time since 1986, when the people of Austria elected former Nazi Kurt Waldheim to the chancellorship, cut ties with the country.

FPO leader Jorg Haider paid a price for the outrage: Although his party was the largest in the coalition, it was left outside the government and the conservative Austrian People's Party instead took the helm.

The protest and the sanctions did not last for very long. The Austrian opposition gave in. The EU understood Austria was not the only country where the radical Right looked as if it was about to enter the government. Italy, Denmark and Holland all appeared to be next. These countries could not all face sanctions or threats of being kicked out of the EU.

Israel, too, grew accustomed to the new political reality. In fact, it was this problematic government of which the FPO was a member that for the first time, after decades of denials and refusal by previous governments, offered symbolic reparations for Jews of Austrian origin whose family's property was confiscated by the Nazis. Of course, from the standpoint of Austrian Jews, who received minimal compensation, this was a humiliating gesture, but it was a gesture nonetheless. FPO members further harnessed their ties in the Arab world to aid Israel in negotiations for kidnapped and missing persons. Jerusalem ultimately returned its ambassador to Vienna in 2004.

When the Austrian Parliament swears in the new government of Sebastian Kurz on Monday, members of the FPO will be put in charge of Austria's Defense and Interior ministries. Not many protesters are expected to turn out in Vienna, the EU is not even contemplating imposing sanctions and in Israel, there are those calling for the government to reconsider its boycott policy toward the FPO, which has remained intact, and assess the changes implemented under the leadership of Haider's successor, Heinz-Christian Strache.

Much has changed in Europe in the past 17 years, due to the breaking of political taboos on radical right-wing parties and the FPO's entry into the government. At the time, then-Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel (Austrian People's Party), who adhered to the false version of Austria's history that holds that Austria was the first victim of the Third Reich and whose father was an ardent Nazi, claimed that allowing the FPO into the government would lessen its power and force party members to prove they were actually capable of governing. And indeed, after a few years of serving in the government, the FPO appeared to be on the verge of self-destruction, largely as a result of Haider's unstable personality.

Though Haider was killed in an accident in 2008, his party has managed to recover and position itself as a formidable political force. Foreigners, immigration, Islam and refugees, which had always been part of the party's platform, have become burning issues. The FPO has gone from a group of fringe radicals to politicians who can now position themselves as part of mainstream society and say, "Consider yourselves warned."

Kurz is not Schuessel. He is a true friend of Israel. So much so that for the first time in Austria's history, the incoming government's platform includes a commitment to preserving Israel's Jewish character and recognition of Austria's role in the Holocaust.

Strache is not Haider. He may have backtracked a little on his promise to ensure the transfer of the Austrian Embassy from Ramat Gan to Jerusalem, and with a touch of anti-Semitism, exploited the political scandal, in which Israeli adviser Tal Silberstein was accused of misconduct by promoting allegedly racist propaganda in a smear campaign against the Austrian People's Party, for political means. But as vice chancellor, the burden is now on him to prove his intentions toward Israel and the Jews. One such way would be to bring about deeper reconciliation between Austria and its Jewish population, possibly through an appropriate compensation agreement.


Eldad Beck

Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/opinions/a-different-europe/

Follow Middle East and Terrorism on Twitter

Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.

No comments:

Post a Comment